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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25327708">I want to become Stronger</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darklordi/pseuds/Darklordi'>Darklordi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990s Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ninjutsu, Other, Post-TMNT (1990), Training, ninja turtles - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:15:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25327708</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darklordi/pseuds/Darklordi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shredder's corpse has not been found and everything suggests that he is still alive. Knowing now that she has become a target of the Foot clan, April makes the decision to become stronger so that she can better protect herself and help her friends for future fights to come.<br/>This fanfic takes place shortly after the TMNT film of 1990. For me, there remains the best Ninja Turtles film to date, and Judith Hoag remains the best April O'Neil.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I want to become Stronger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Night had fallen now for a few hours now on the city that never sleeps. Despite the calm, the eternal traffic noises could still be heard towards the city center. In the center of the city, the tall buildings let their lights be seen in the full night.<br/>April suddenly opened her eyes. Dressed in her white night dress, she quickly straightened up in her bed, gasping and her forehead sweating. She quickly turned on her bedside lamp and looked around the room with insistance, as if to check that there was someone. Noting that there's nobody, she breathed, gradually regaining her composure.<br/>_ "Oh god ... what a nightmare ..." she sighed as she ran her hand over her forehead.<br/>She felt her hand shake a little more, had to fear. Indeed, this nightmare was terrible. She still relives the images in her head. She, sleeping peacefully in her bed in the darkness of the room. And suddenly, the obscure and hooded forms of the Foot clan's ninjas rising from the darkness around her, grabbing her by the arms and legs, blocking her on the bed. April, eyes round with terror, wanting to scream for help, but a ninja putting his hand on her mouth to silence her. April moaned in terror, struggled but couldn't do anything.<br/>And suddenly, in front of the bed, a new shape was advancing slowly ... an imposing man, releasing an unhealthy aura. He wore armor plates on his body, sharp blades on his wrists and his face was hidden by a helmet with horns. Eyes full of hatred, he stared at April.<br/>_ "Miserable woman ... you had better shut up ... I will make your monstrous friends understand what it costs to challenge the Shredder!"<br/>With those hateful words, he raised his arm, ready to strike April's face with his blades. April gave a muffled howl, tears coming down her eyes as Shredder's blades fell towards her to shred it. Then, it was at this moment that she woke up.<br/>April still trembled just thinking about it. Unable to go back to sleep after such a fright, she decided to get up and looked at the time on her alarm clock.<br/>_ "Three in the morning ... pfff ... shit ..." breathed painfully the young and beautiful journalist, who nevertheless decided to leave the bedroom to go to the living room. Turning on the lights to feel a little more reassured, she went to one of the living room windows, pulling the curtain a little to the side to look out. The street in front of the small building was calm and deserted. A few cars were parked on the sidewalks and the lampposts were all turned off. Only the light of the moon let glimpse its silver light. Noting that everything was normal outside too, April went to the kitchen and made herself a coffee to get her ideas straight.<br/>Sitting at her small table while letting her coffee machine slowly dim in preparation, April was pensive, her face closed and looking briefly out the window, towards the sky and its stars. His thoughts turned to his new and extraordinary friends, the ninja turtles. By this time, they should all be sleeping. With the exception of Mikey, who once again was perhaps playing video games in secret, and who once again, was going to be sermoned by Splinter to fall asleep during training. The simple thought made April smile, which gave a small laugh.<br/>Getting up from her chair, she went to take a picture in her purse on the counter. The photo showed her surrounded by the four mutant turtles, all smiling and taking dynamic poses.<br/>Leonardo, as usual, was serious, his arms crossed and his eyes sharp. But right next to him, Michelangelo smiled like the eternal teenager he was, having managed to make donkey ears with his fingers behind Leonardo's head without him noticing. Donatello, calmer, had chosen a simple but smiling pose. Raphael, the most lonely in the band, stood more behind, but nevertheless smiling. And she, the young human woman, shy and smiling, standing in the middle of the four turtles, making a sign of peace with her fingers. Splinter hadn't wanted to appear in the photo, which April respected and Casey took the photo.<br/>April smiled, touched by the photo. It had now been over a month since she met the turtles. An encounter that had changed her life forever, and she didn't regret it. It had also been a month since their enemy, named the Shredder, had been defeated. However, despite intensive searches by the police, his corpse was never found.<br/>For Splinter, this could not be a mere coincidence. For him, unfortunately, Oroku Saki, or Shredder, was still alive, hiding somewhere while waiting to return. The idea made April shudder. Although she never met Shredder for real, she knew the danger he posed. And also, she had become a priority target of the Foot clan. What would happen if the gang returned too?<br/>Although she started a relationship with Casey and he knows how to fight well, April did not feel reassured. Even Casey Jones couldn't protect her from an entire army of ninjas, let alone Shredder. During the nightmare, she felt vulnerable, completely helpless ... although she wanted to stand up to the criminals several times, she always had to be saved ... it made her think for long minutes, while she took her steaming cup of coffee and sat down to drink it slowly.<br/>_ "That's it ..." she said, thinking "... I'm not strong enough ..."<br/>Finishing her coffee and resting the cup on the table, the young woman then showed a more determined look. She had made up her mind. She had to get stronger, and she knew who could help her.</p><p>Three hours later, around six in the morning. As the sun was barely showing its first light, April had dressed and left her apartment, now walking down the still deserted street. Carrying her yellow coat over her, her purse in her hand, she crossed the road to reach the sidewalk opposite, where there was a manhole. Checking that no one was around, April pushed the iron cover, with some difficulty, but managed despite the heaviness. The strong smell of the sewer went up to her nostrils, making her wince, but she ignored it. One by one, she went down the small ladder, closing the manhole above her.<br/>Thanks to the sewer plan Donny had given to her and marking the location of the refuge, April walked through the different sewer corridors. However, she was careful to walk on the sides, trying to avoid the stale stream of water flowing in the middle. The idea of seeing them again warmed her heart, since it had been more than two weeks since she had seen them. With her work as a journalist and their ninja lives, they hadn't had much time in recent days. But today, April was not just coming for a visit.</p><p>Meanwhile…<br/>_ "Darkness is the ninja's ally. It makes you invisible and as silent as a shadow, while light reveals your presence. Can you extinguish this flame without getting out of the dark? That is your lesson today."<br/>With these wise words, Splinter, dressed in his kimono, in the lotus position, closed his eyes while holding in one of his hands a lighted candle. All around him, the small room used as a dojo had been plunged into darkness for training. Except for the circle of light where Splinter was, everything was black.<br/>A first turtle, wearing a purple headband and armed with a stick, quickly leaps forward to grab the candle, but Splinter dodged without difficulty, letting the turtle roll on the ground awkwardly.<br/>_ "Too noisy, Donatello." pointed out Splinter.<br/>A second fast turtle, with orange and armed with two nunchakus, in turn leaps towards the rat, but Splinter also avoids him with ease, and knocks the turtle on its toes, which loses its balance and rolls until to his brother.<br/>_ "Not concentrated enough, Michelangelo." Splinter said severely, keeping the burning candle in hand.<br/>A turtle with a red band and holding two Sais appears, turning his arms, but he too is hit by Splinter which made him lose his balance and fall heavily to the ground.<br/>_ "Bad tactics, Raphael."<br/>Splinter remained on his guard, knowing that there was still a turtle left. Suddenly, the rat was surprised by two Katanna blades, which like lightning, came to cut the wick of the candle, extinguishing it. Splinter then saw Leonardo fall on his feet, coming from the ceiling to which he had hidden in the greatest silence. When the exercise was over, Splinter turned on the lights in the room with the lever.<br/>_ "Congratulations, Leonardo. You were able to blend in with the dark." said Splinter.<br/>_ "I only followed your instructions, sensei." replied Leo, humbly bowing.<br/>_ "Once again, it's the professor's favorite who gets the credit." said Raphael. Mikey and Donny looked at each other with the same look at what Raph had just said.<br/>_ "You would be you too if you listened instead of rushing without thinking." said Leonardo dryly. Leo and Raph were getting ready to fight again, but Splinter came to separate them immediately, obeying.<br/>_ "My sons ..." he sighed in annoyance "... my sons ... a month ago now, you faced your greatest challenge ... but that should not blind your judgment ... you have grown and become stronger, but you must never let your overconfidence take over."<br/>The four brothers listened, and understood what their master meant. He was right. Until confirmation of Shredder's death came, they had to be on their guard.<br/>Returning to their living room after their training, the four turtles were greeted with a pleasant surprise. April had arrived, smiling and happy to see them and walked over to greet them.<br/>_ "Hi guys." she said coming to hug them one by one.<br/>_ "Hi April. We are glad to see you again." said Donny with a smile.<br/>_ "Especially Raphael. He keeps talking about you ..." said Mikey with a mocking smile towards his brother "... April ... oh April, when you come back to see me? I'm nothing without you! "<br/>Mikey began to imitate desperate Raph with a falsely dramatic voice. Raph's reaction was quick, the latter clenching his teeth and fists.<br/>_ "Come here, you little piece of..." groaned Raphael who began chasing a hilarious Mikey across the living room, under the amused look of April who shook her head gently, laughing softly. Donny and Leo went to facepalm. But while Raph and Mikey were fighting, April quickly reconciled on the reason for his arrival.<br/>_ "Excuse me for coming so early, but ... I would like to speak to Splinter." asked April politely.<br/>_ "Master Splinter is in the dojo. He meditates a bit." said Leo, showing a direction. April thanked him with a nod and headed for the dojo, while Donny and Leo went to the kitchen for a bite to eat.<br/>April stopped before the big curtain that formed the entrance to the dojo. At first, she did not dare to enter or say a word, for fear of disturbing the rat during her meditation.<br/>_ "Come in, miss O'Neil." said Splinter's calm voice. How did he...? April was surprised by this, but chose to draw the curtain aside and took his first steps in the dojo. In the middle of the room, on the wicker rugs, sat Splinter, who turned his gaze to the young woman and invited her to come and sit in front of him. April did, but in the first few seconds didn't really dare to talk about what brought her here. Splinter looked her in the eye, and showed a clever eye.<br/>_ "You have something to ask me, don't you?" he says.<br/>_ "I ... yes ..." stammered a little April, nervous "... you and the turtles have become my new family ... I love all of you very much and believe that I appreciate all the times when you saved me, but ... "<br/>_ "Speak without fear, miss O'Neil. I will not judge you." Splinter said to reassure her, seeing that she was reluctant to reveal her motivations. April took a deep breath and spoke frankly.<br/>_ "I would like to become stronger. Teach me to defend myself."<br/>The request surprised a little Splinter who raised an eyebrow, but saw that the young woman was more than sincere.<br/>_ "I'm not trying to become a ninja ..." explained April to be precise "... but knowing that the Foot clan could return at any time, I don't really feel reassured ... if you could help me learn some martial art techniques so that ... well ... that I can better defend myself if I find myself isolated ..."<br/>Splinter nodded at the young woman's explanation, but appeared hesitant at first, gently rubbing his little beard with the tips of his fingers.<br/>_ "Have you ever practiced a martial art before, miss O'Neil?"<br/>_ "Well ..." she replied, a little embarrassed "... I had a little judo when I was a child, but I quickly stopped. I forgot everything now."<br/>Splinter stood up and took several steps while thinking, leaving April in doubt. Seeing him as hesitated, she told herself that he would never accept.<br/>_ "My sons have a great affection for you ..." said the rat, turning to her "... it is clear that if something serious should happen to you, they could never forgive themselves ... and I too could not ... I will help you ... we are starting now, go get ready."<br/>Faced with this response, April was relieved and smiled, sincerely thanking Splinter.</p><p>A few moments later, April returned to the dojo. She had replaced her street clothes with a white training kimono that Splinter agreed to lend her. Arriving on the training mat, April saw Splinter stand straight, hands behind his back and eyes closed, very concentrated. When she got to him, he stared directly at her.<br/>_ "I'm going to teach you some Ninjutsu defense movements ..." he explained, to April who was listening very carefully. Then she saw him sit calmly on the carpet, in the lotus position and closing his eyes. "But before that, let's meditate, to prepare our bodies and our minds."<br/>Although a little perplexed, April decided to follow this advice and she, too, sat down to meditate, facing Splinter. Blowing gently, she closed her eyes, concentrating. A few minutes passed during which the two were silent, but for April, it seemed to last for hours. Remaining perfectly still, the young woman felt good, relaxing her body and mind. She had to dispel her doubts from her mind. The smell of incense sticks, the Japanese tapestries covering the walls and representing Ninjutsu symbols ... she felt them, visualized them, in her head ... she focused on the wise voice of Splinter ...<br/>Then Splinter and April opened their eyes in unison, face to face, and got to their feet.<br/>_ "Well, let's start now ..." he said.<br/>Leonardo ran at full speed into the kitchen of the refuge, under the gaze of his three brothers, perplexed, while they were eating their pizzas.<br/>_ "Guys, come and see! April is training Ninjitsu with Splinter!"<br/>_ "WHAAAAAT?!" cried Raph, Mikey and Donny at the same time, all more than surprised. The three of them immediately followed Leo to see that, Mikey still taking his pizza with him. The turtles arrived in the dojo to find out the facts.<br/>Splinter performed rapid movements, agile kicks, dodges and rolls, then followed by punches, elbows or kicks. By her side, April, dressed in her kimono, had to imitate his gestures, several times in succession, in order to perfect them. Splinter watched closely and made sure to correct any mistakes she made. April was trying to do her best and remained focused, despite the fatigue already present. If she had known that one day, she would train in the art of ninjas with a giant rat, she would have found it like a joke in very bad taste. April noticed the four brothers watching her. She smiled at them but remained focused on her training.<br/>_ "Wow ... she's doing well for a start." said Leo.<br/>_ "But why does she learn ninjutsu? She wants to become a ninja too?" asked Donatello, thoughtful.<br/>_ "It would be so cool, man!" said Mikey, eyes bright as he continued to eat his pizza. "You imagine us and her kicking bad guys asses? Besides, I'm sure April as a ninja would melt Raphael even more, right?"<br/>_ "If you continue, Mikey, you're going to eat soup for the rest of your life." growled Raphael, preparing his fist and threatening Mikey who swallowed.<br/>April suddenly fell to the floor, on the carpet. She hadn't been attentive enough and couldn't avoid the attack of Splinter, who tried to be not too brutal. Lying on her back, catching a little breath, the young woman rose to her feet.<br/>_ "Your body is here, miss O'Neil, but your mind is elsewhere, I can feel it." explained Splinter. "I feel in your eyes a lot of doubts about yourself, but also ... fear towards the Foot clan."<br/>His way of looking at things really impressed April, and he was right.<br/>_ "I try not to think about it, believe me ..." she said with a breath "... but it's stronger than me."<br/>_ "It will be, only if you are convinced it is ..." replied Splinter. "Doubt and fear are natural feelings proper to all forms of life. But ninjas must not feel doubt or fear, otherwise they will lose. You have strength in you, April, no doubt about that. But it is up to you to remove the barrage of doubts that you let fill your heart and that prevent this force from expressing itself. You also have a willingness to learn and move forward, and these are great sources of motivation. With time, patience and practice, you will become stronger than you could ever imagine ..."<br/>_ "Yeah! Can you imagine that? April O'Neil, the badass and sexy ninja!" Mikey commented indiscriminately in front of everyone, which earned him a blow on the head from Raph. Leo and Donny were extremely embarrassed by Mikey's words and Splinter sighed in annoyance, rubbing his eyes. April laughed a little at this scene. Decidedly, her new friends were unique, and not only because of their physical appearance.</p><p>At the end of the day, April finally returned to her apartment. More than tired, she had spent most of the day training and repeating the same defensive movements. She almost managed to control some of them. Then she have enjoyed spending some time and laughing with the four turtles. Mikey and his imitations were always so much fun.<br/>Never having felt so tired, April dropped her purse on the floor and dropped to her couch. She thought back to Splinter's words, and looked at his hands ...<br/>_ "A force in me? Stronger than I could ever imagine ..." she whispered. These words motivated her even more to continue. Yes, she would become stronger, and so, with her friends, she could face all the trials that will arise in the future. Shredder was there, somewhere for sure, waiting for his time ... and she, Splinter, Casey Jones and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all will be there to challenge him and keep him from doing harm.<br/>_ "Thank you ... master ..." she said gently with a smile, thanking Splinter for what he did for her. Deciding to go to bed early after such a day, April decided to go take a shower before eating and sleeping. She went to her bathroom, not without first taking a last look and a smile, towards her photo of herself and her new friends ... or rather, her new family ...</p><p>Heavy rain and a violent thunderstorm appeared over the city during the night. Standing on top of one of the tallest buildings, a lonely figure gazed out over the dark city. The cloak fluttering in the wind, the raindrops dripping on the metal of his helmet and his armor, he spread his powerful arms, his eyes filled with brilliant revenge under his helmet.<br/>_ "Sleep well, turtles ..." he said in his dark and serious voice "... enjoy this night of sleep ... because after that, I will haunt you... soon, you will discover the real power of the Shredder!"</p><p>THE END</p>
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